Thai Curry with Bamboo Shoots & Water Chestnuts
While Americans tend to think of bamboo in terms of couches and chairs, Asian cultures view it as food: tender, young bamboo shoots make tasty additions to curries and stir-frys. While they aren’t captivating on their own–they have a starchy, rather bland flavor (like potatoes)–they pair nicely with everything from mushrooms to meat. And since canned shoots are readily available in the Asian section of most grocery stores, incorporating them into dishes is a snap. (This also holds true for water chestnuts, which add a nice crunch and intriguing visual appeal. Use them the same way you’d use bamboo shoots: drain and then add to the sauteé pan at the last second to preserve their delicate character.)
For this Thai curry, I made a mélange of familiar vegetables into an exotic dish by adding bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. Creamy coconut milk and spicy red Thai curry paste made for a balanced sauce; the fiery nature of the paste was offset by the tongue-taming, starchy rice noodles.
Thai Curry with Bamboo Shoots & Water Chestnuts
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
2 carrots, cut into slim matchsticks
1 red pepper, sliced thin
1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
2 cloves garlic, minced
About 1/2 of a 4.5-oz container of water chestnuts, drained
About 1/2 of a 15-oz. can of bamboo shoots, drained
Rice noodles
2 T. peanut oil (if you don’t have peanut oil, use olive oil)
2 T. soy sauce
1 tsp. Thai red curry paste
1/4 cup coconut milk
Steam broccoli in a covered pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Refill pot with water for the rice noodles. Once the water is boiling again, add noodles and cook according to package directions. (Note: be sure to use a pot that is big enough to comfortably hold the rice noodles–they are much stickier than traditional wheat-based noodles and will clump into a solid mass if they don’t have enough boiling room.)
While the noodles are cooking, sauteé the carrots and pepper in the peanut oil over medium-high heat. (You can use other oils, but the peanut gives the dish more of an Asian flavor. You could also sprinkle some chopped peanuts over the dish before serving.) After about 3 minutes, add the cooked broccoli and peas. Continue sauteéing, stirring often, for another 3 minutes. Add the garlic, soy sauce, and Thai curry paste and stir well. (Note: depending on the brand of curry paste you use, 1 tsp. can result in a fairy spicy dish. Reduce the amount to 1/2 tsp. if you’re not sure how much your tastebuds can handle.)
Continue to cook–stirring to prevent garlic from burning–for another 5 minutes, then pour in the coconut milk and blend well. At this point, you can mix the cooked rice noodles directly into the vegetables…or you can serve the vegetables atop the noodles.
If you like, garnish with sprigs of basil or cilantro. You may also wish to add chopped pineapple to give your creation more of a tropical flair.
Enjoy!
Print This Post
Tags: bamboo shoots, curry, gluten-free, rice noodles, thai, water chestnuts
